Rock star David Bowie has died following an 18-month battle with cancer.
According to the statement, the singer died yesterday, surrounded by his loved ones.
A tweet posted on his verified Twitter account also linked to the announcement.
It read: “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.
“While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
His son, film director Duncan Jones tweeted: “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all.”
One of Britain’s most successful and pioneering musicians, David Bowie enjoyed a glittering career spanning six decades that saw him become one of the biggest recording artists of all time.
Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in Brixton, south London, to mother Margaret “Peggy”, a waitress, and charity worker Haywood “John” Jones, Bowie’s musical talent was clear from an early age and he had his first taste for rock music through the record collection of his older brother, Terry,
The family moved to south east London, where he graduated from Bromley Technical High School at 16. He formed a number of bands and led a group calling himself Davy Jones.
He changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with the Monkees’ Davy Jones. The name was said to be inspired by a knife developed by the 19th century American pioneer Jim Bowie.
He decided to set out on his own as a solo artist, releasing three singles for Pye Records and his debut album, The World Of David Bowie.
But the records did not achieve the huge success he would go on to experience and he retreated to a Buddhist monastery in Scotland in 1967
After returning to London he started arts troupe Feathers in 1968. As the group eventually separated he helped create the Beckenham Arts Lab in 1969 before releasing Space Oddity on July 11 that year, his first UK number one.